Investigating the Association Between Celebrity Worship and Heteronormative Attitudes Among Heterosexual and LGB+ Individuals

Evidence was found that perceived similarity with a famous person in gender, age, cultural background and attitudes increases the attraction towards this celebrity. Previous studies have also revealed that sexual minority individuals and those with a sexual attraction towards a famous person of the opposite gender are more likely to become obsessed with their favorite celebrity. Based on these findings, this study aimed to explore how heteronormative attitudes—gender role and behavioral expectations for men and women—are associated with celebrity worship in LGB+ and heterosexual individuals. An online questionnaire was administered to 1,763 Hungarian adults (66.4% male, 14.7% LGB+ individuals, M_age = 37.2 years, SD = 11.4). Heterosexual individuals with a favorite celebrity of the same gender reported stronger heteronormative attitudes in terms of gender roles and behaviors than LGB+ individuals. Furthermore, this aspect of heteronormative attitudes predicted higher levels of celebrity worship in individuals with a favorite celebrity of their own gender, irrespective of sexual orientation. However, heteronormative attitudes explained only a small proportion of the variance of celebrity worship (1–6%), indicating that heteronormativity has no substantial impact on celebrity admiration.